The present invention relates to a product transferring device for transferring a product traveling on a conveyor to a receiving location off the side of the conveyor.
Product transferring devices of this type can be broadly categorized into diagonal models and perpendicular models. In the diagonal models, a product is mounted on the conveyor by gradually changing the direction of the product along an arcuate path relative to the conveyor direction. In the perpendicular models, the product is mounted from a direction perpendicular to the direction of the conveyor.
In the former diagonal model, the product to be conveyed has conventionally been moved along an arcuate path that intersects the direction of the conveyor at an angle. A roller conveyor having a plurality of drive rollers may be used for this.
In the perpendicular model, a chain conveyor is used. The chain conveyor has a conveyance path that is roughly perpendicular to the direction of the conveyor on which the product is to be mounted. The conveyor on which the product is to be mounted includes a roller conveyor. The chain conveyor is arranged so that, when seen from the top, it does not interfere with the roller conveyor. This chain conveyor can be moved up and down. When the product reaches the end of the chain conveyor, the chain conveyor is lowered and the product on the chain conveyor is transferred to the roller conveyor.
However, with the diagonal model described above, since the roller conveyor is used to gradually change the direction of the product while it is being mounted on the conveyor, the conveyance path of the roller conveyor necessarily becomes longer. This leads to a larger space requirement, making installation difficult.
While the perpendicular model described above does not require as much space as the diagonal model, transportation of the product by the chain conveyor is halted when the product reaches the end of the chain conveyor. With the product on the chain conveyor stopped in this manner, it is then transferred to the roller conveyor. Thus, when the product is being transferred, the product flow is stopped temporarily. This makes the transfer operation more time-consuming and decreases efficiency.